Like All Good Lia.. (ahem) Politicians, the Duck Apologist “Beaverclass” Includes a SLIVER of Truth

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Giles

A virtual inferno!

OK – a comment to my post below from a duck (who for some reason, known only to himself, calls himself Beaverclass) tries to make us believe that the duck locker room has fewer X-boxes than Oregon State’s. Something smelled fishy there, so I did a little sleuthing. Richard echoed my memory of events, and since Richard, aka BeaverMobile, and I possess two of the brightest minds around, I was certain our memories were correct. What I have

Can you see his bill moving?

uncovered, is not only are our memories correct, but the duck imposter was trying on a little spin. He told about a 10th of the story, not all of it.

His great feather-fluffing and tail-twitching was because I have stated on numerous occassions that the excesses of the duck locker room – particularly the x-boxes – violated NCAA rules, at least in spirit. I made the statement that luxuries not directly related to their athletic efforts and performance were prohibited, unless they were provided to the general student population as well. Ohhhh, that made him quack and flitter his tailfeathers! And as it turns out, he is more filled with bluster and deception than knowledge.

An article from the Oregonian, dated November 2, 2005, referenced here and referenced by its author, Aaron Fentress in his blog here, says that the Pac 10 and/or the NCAA frowned on the x-boxes for the VERY SAME reason I had stated! Evidently the ducks were “encouraged” to remove all those x-boxes from each locker, by either the NCAA or the Pac 10 (I cannot find the original article, so I have to rely on the above two sources).

Then, there is this article from the Seattle Times in September of 2003 that gives even more credence to my memory. The relevant passage, in context says:

“The UO locker room is two stories and has a door that will allow eight players to enter at once, a door that can open and shut at three feet per second.

Is the duck still inside?

Each locker has its own ventilation system to personalize perspiration. Each also has outlets for video games and the Internet, as well as a security system that is activated by a code that includes a player’s uniform number and a scan of his thumbprint.”

I’m calling 911 right now to send firefighters to the location of “Beaverclass’s” pants!

God is Love

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Giles

I have to write. I have not been as faithful on these pages as I intended. I want to focus on my quest, as I’ve mentioned before. Since last I posted, I have made progress on this

East Friesian Dairy sheep
(click to learn more)

journey – and I intend to get caught up on this blog over the next several days.

Where to start? So much has happened. I bought six milking sheep – yes, you read that right, milking sheep. The intent is, with another local farmer, to use the milk to produce cheese. Never heard of sheep milk cheese? I think you have – Roquefort? Does that name ring a bell? It is sheep cheese.

: Lacaune dairy sheep
(click for more info)

The six ewes that I bought are East Friesiian/Lacaune crosses. Think of Holstein (East Friesian) and Jersey (Lacaune) cows. The East Friesian is known for her milk production, the Lacaune is known for the quality of her milk.

My beloved Beavers had a somewhat successful season, but lost at least three games, including their bowl game vs. Texas, due to an inexplicable reluctance to run the ball. Rumors abound regarding a new logo/branding/marketing effort and has been raging on the internet this past week. Maybe I’ll write more about these topics later.

What I want to write today are some thoughts that I should have recognized years ago – but have become clear to me only recently. These have been directly related to my quest – since it became painfully obvious that I have quite a bit of clean-up and preparation work to do before I can be used by God in the way that he intends, the way he has lead me to understand he wants to use me. This work is clearing out the clutter that has kept me from enjoying a closer relationship with God – and the clutter is all about idols, personal habits and foibles that had become more important to me than God. If you had asked me, I would have denied that it was the case – but my actions and my daily decisions proved otherwise. It doesn’t seem completely appropriate to go into great detail at this time – but I have been working, and continue to work on more than one sinful habit/idol.

Here is an amazing observation (I’m going to refer to the big one (idol), as The Big One, surprisingly enough): I first became convicted in my heart about The Big One during my weekly, Sunday morning, men’s discipleship class at the church I attend. It led me first to silent confession to God, then open confession to my pastor and to other close friends. Once this confession was made, the way was open to invite God to help me with this idol – and he did. Every time I asked (and sometimes simply asking was hard), he was mighty on my behalf, and victorious. Now, to the observation; I discovered that as God worked on The Big One, he was also working on other aspects of my heart, mind and life that displeased him. Some things changed, some other things are changing, and as one idol gets knocked down, more are revealed that must be destroyed.

Golden calf
(click to learn more)

Before we go farther, let me recommend a website, http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/ and a book, “Getting to No: How to Break a Stubborn Habit” by Erwin W. Lutzer. Both were recommended to me by my pastor, and I recommend both as being very helpful and useful in destroying those golden calves that we are so prone to creating and serving.

Click to buy

At the very beginning of my personal house-cleaning, I was confronted with this truth: The purpose of my life is to glorify God. That seems pretty simple, and it is easier to say and to type and to think than it is to live. All of the elements have been prominent in my awareness for years. I just never put them together in a meaningful way. I was given the most basic ingredients of this truth as a young child in a memorization verse – one I can still recite from memory – Rev. 4:11 (KJV) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Here are those elements – most of them stated directly or easily derived from Rev 4:11:

God created the universe and all that is in it.

I am created by God.

God created me for his pleasure.

As my creator, he has the only right to define that purpose (this is a critical link, to which I paid too little attention)

His pleasure is his Son, Jesus Christ. Matt 17:5 “…This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.”

Jesus Christ is the glory of God. 2 Cor 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”

And Paul tells us, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

This led me to a “binding thought” that seems to tie together several elements of the Christian walk. I hope I can state it here with enough clarity to be useful.

In Ephesians, Paul makes it very clear that it is by grace that we are saved. Eph 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Then James, the brother of Christ, muddies the water for many of us by boldly stating, as boldly as Paul does above, that “faith without works is dead”. James 2: 20 (But read the entire passage 2:14 – 26)

What do we do with this? Are James and Paul in argument or agreement? We must first start with the understanding that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that God cannot be in disagreement with himself. So James and Paul must be in agreement. How can that be? So begins this binding together.

Jesus Christ is the glory of God

Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16), the physical expression of God on earth.

We are called to live Christ within us. Col 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

As we see above, we are called to live for God’s pleasure, which is his Son, who is the glory of God. So it is as we live Christ, and show Christ in our lives that God is glorified, and he takes pleasure in seeing his Son lived in our lives.

Just as Christ is the physical manifestation of God, so are our works the physical evidence of our faith, the manifestation of Christ within us, the author and finisher of our faith. Heb 12:2

We are dead without faith (by grace are ye are saved through faith). James tells us that faith without works is dead. Jesus even tells us that “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” John 13:35. This is Christ telling us that our behavior is the proof of our faith. John tells us God is love in 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” As Christ, the expression of God, love, flows through us to others, we show love, God, Christ, the glory of God in our lives. We glorify the Father, and thereby fulfill the purpose of our creator in creating us.

Finally, why does it matter? After all, we are saved by our faith, and we are secure in God’s hand – are we not? Rom 8:38, 39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 10:28, 29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Why worry about what we do? We are saved.

It matters because God has saved us to a holy life. 2 Tim 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” And it matters because what we do, what we build on our foundation of Christ, our salvation, is tried by fire in judgment by God. What stands, what is eternal, what is of God, what is Christ-like will enrich us for all eternity. What does not, will be lost, and impoverish us. 1 Cor 3:12 – 16 (notice particularly verse 15) It matters because this is how we lay up treasure in heaven. It matters because this is how we get closer to God, closer to the purpose for our lives. It matters because this was what I was born to do.

R. L. Allan & Son Bibles, and Grandpa Bone

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Giles

I’m back again. My well ran dry and I have been dealing with several issues in my life that have taken my attention. Once dealt with, I had nothing to impart on this blog.

Today I return, not because I think I have anything much to say, but because I must. I’ve missed the conversation.

A couple of months ago I rediscovered R. L. Allan and Son, and I have spent the time since buying bibles in various translations. I have now in my

KJV Longprimer Click to see details

possession the Longprimer (KJV), the NIV Classic Reference Edition and the NASB SCR. The King James is black (as all King James bibles should be) the NIV is dark brown and the NASB is red (more on that later). The NIV is goatskin, the other two are highland goatskin, softer and more supple than just goatskin. I was unable to get the NIV in highland goatskin. The differences are noticeable but not significant.

I will now take a small, but important, side road in our R. L. Allan bible tour:

Growing up, I believed that the only bible was an R. L. Allan King James, black, Moroccan leather (pebble grain) – without pictures, thumb indexes or red letter text.

NIV – Click for details

Anyone I saw with anything different I immediately recognized as new to the faith or not of the faith! I laugh at those early perceptions, they weren’t taught to me, I just picked it up by observation – EVERYBODY I knew, who was a believer, had the “right” kind of bible, so…

I remember one time at a breakfast bible study at Grandpa and Grandma’s home. Several of the ministers (workers) were there, and everyone read a verse or two of the study chapter around the table. One of the workers read from a different translation (probably the RSV). As he began reading, I remember looking up in shock and horror.

: NASB Click for details

Grandma caught my eye, read the distress in my expression, and quietly nodded to me her reassurance that it was alright – and I was calmed. I also felt a little bit wiser, knowing that different translations were OK, at least for breakfast bible studies.

All of my siblings, and all of my cousins and I eagerly awaited our 8^th birthdays. Well, maybe the eldest of us, Kathy, Barbara, Clair and Deonne didn’t, but by the time the second wave of grandkids came “of age” we knew that on our 8^th birthday we would receive a “zipper bible” from Grandpa and Grandma Bone! Black, King James, Moroccan leather – finer grained than the grown-up bibles – no red letters and no pictures (the zipper was an acceptable aberration for children – we knew it was acceptable because Grandpa and Grandma gave it to us).

zipper bible with the exact same zipper pull I had on mine.
Click for more details

Either Grandpa or Grandma would take time to carefully show us how to “break in” our new bible:

WASH YOUR HANDS!

Unzip your bible (only if it was a zippered bible, which it was when we were 8)

Hold the bible tightly together, with the spine on the table

Lay the covers on the table, gently pressing them down close to the spine

Take a few pages from either side, press them flat as you gently ran your fingers top to bottom near the spine.

Repeat the previous step until you reached the middle

Now your bible was “broken in” and it was OK to open it up and read it – something you DARE NOT do before breaking it in!

Having your zipper bible in your possession was proof positive that you were becoming a young man or young woman…you were at least 8, obviously. This bible lasted me well into my teens, nearly through high school, I believe. The stitching on the zipper had long since come apart. Small splits in the stitching had appeared and grown until one day I just tore the whole zipper out – after all, zippers were for 8 year olds, and no longer necessary for a big boy of 12. My folks bought me a new R.L. Allan bible in my late teens. I was looking at it last weekend, but the inscription from them was not dated, just “versed”. It is at home, and I am in Oklahoma City, and I cannot remember the verse Mom wrote on the flyleaf. I will update this post with a comment this weekend.

When browsing through the R. L. Allan website, thoughts of Grandpa Bone

Allan’s blue boxes

kept flooding my memory. He kept what I now know was an expensive stock of new R. L. Allan bibles, in their dark blue linen-textured cardboard boxes in the bottom shelf of the built-in china cabinet just to the right as you came in the door from the big utility room/porch. It was Grandpa’s bible drawer. I remember him sitting there with different ones, opening the boxes carefully, lifting the bibles out with respect, and showing the person the various features of that particular bible. I always marveled at Grandpa’s knowledge of the bible. He knew verses, passages (especially the Psalms), names, histories, details…he knew the bible. He also knew styles and covers and font size and reference styles and margins, and he always seemed to have a sober, kind and gentle recommendation for a particular individual’s needs. Grandpa sold the bibles at cost. It was something that he did – providing fine (I thought they were just regular) bibles to those who wanted them. It wasn’t until he was gone that I realized what a special service he quietly performed for God’s people. It wasn’t until I started looking for an R. L. Allan bible recently that I appreciated the investment Grandpa had tucked into his bible drawer.

I have learned recently that R. L. Allan and Son is generally acclaimed as the publisher of the finest bibles in the world. And I always thought they were just regular bibles! I always imagined that R. L. Allan probably knew almost as much about bibles and The Bible and Grandpa did, and they might have a fine conversation on the topic. The son, I figured, was not quite there yet, and would be obliged to listen.

Now, back on the main road. As I continued to be drawn back to R. L. Allan’s website, and to Evangelical Bibles, Allan’s only “official” distributer, as far as I know, and to the Bible Design blog – all of which I found by Google-searching “R.. L. Allan bibles” – I determined to own various translations of the bible from R. L. Allan and Son. I wanted these fine bibles and a concordance for my desk at home, so I can read the various translations when I am studying in depth. After deciding on, and ordering these bibles, I realized I needed a few bibles to take on the road with me also. So I ordered 3 smaller, compact bibles for travel.

Before I talk further about the bibles I have ordered, I want to tell about my adventure with the red NASB highland goatskin bible. I wanted to buy this beautiful, red bible as a gift. But as I tried to order it, I discovered to my dismay that both Allan and Evangelical were sold out of that bible. Now, on the Allan site I found a note when I opened the details for the blue version, stating that there were very limited copies of this bible available, so I ordered it immediately. Red, blue….blue would do. Red was my first choice, but blue would do. So I ordered. The next day I received the email I didn’t want to see, telling me that they were completely sold out of the blue bible as well. I was disappointed to say the very least. I kept checking back on both sites, hoping to see that one of them was now available – to no avail. I also checked, from time to time, on the internet at large for copies for sale, even used copies. Imagine my surprise when I found a red one for sale. Used, but in new condition and still in the box! I ordered it immediately. When it was delivered, I found that it was as advertised, beautiful and in new condition. Unfortunately, I then found out that both Allan and Evangelical offers embossing services. I wanted the recipient’s name embossed on this lovely bible, so I sent emails to both companies. Sadly, I have yet to hear back from Evangelical. Because of the pressures of the season, I will grant them grace. I did receive a response from the CEO of Allan and Son, Nicholas Gray. He suggested, avoiding the expanses of the Atlantic Ocean by getting the embossing done by Evangelical. (I did not want just anybody to emboss this bible. I wanted the work done by someone familiar with the superior quality of the Allan bibles.) I then asked Mr. Gray if he had a publishing date for the next run of the blue NASB, his reply:

“We have one only copy if the crimson edition of NASB1R left, but no blue edition. Is this of interest to you?

Of course it was! I immediately ordered it, embossed, and expedited shipping to insure delivery in time for Christmas! (I just learned today that it was shipped yesterday, and will arrive tomorrow!) Then, early last Sunday morning, I discovered that Evangelical had just received their shipment of NASB bibles! I immediately ordered the blue copy I wanted for myself…so I now possess an extra copy of the very lovely red NASB bible. Hmmmm, if it works as a gift for one, it might work as a gift for another, no?

Now, for the copies I have on order – first my “desk” copies:

ESV Click for more details

ESV – tan highland goatskin (after I ordered, I saw the brown with tri-color ribbons. I was tempted, but I resisted)

: HCSB Click for further information

HCSB – brown highland goatskin (I have ordered different colors for each version, but I had to duplicate brown and black)

NASB Blue-currently out of stock

NASB – blue highland goatskin – I love the red ribbons with the blue binding.

NRSV Click for more information

NRSV – black highhland goatskin

NKJV – red; a beautiful red highland goatskin for the NEW King James Version. I’m not sure if that violates my Black for King James rule or not, but I absolutely needed a red bible somewhere in the list! This will not arrive until sometime early next year, and I can find exactly zero pictures of this bible. but imagine the Longprimer in the red highland goatskin, and I think you will be close.

Cruden’s Concordance Click for more information

Cruden’s Concordance – black goatskin

Different bible in Sea-green. 3rd from top
Click for more information

And one not yet ordered: NLT – sea-green Alhambra goatskin, which Mr. Gray assures me is virtually identical to highland goatskin. This edition will not be published until June or July.

The traveling copies:

Ruby KJV Click for more information

KJV – Ruby edition, black highland goatskin

NASB – brown goatskin (this is the Cambridge Pitt Minion copy. I am not sure if it is an Allan binding or not. I guess I’ll find out). I can find no pictures of this bible, but there is oredering information here.

ESV Compact
Click for more information

ESV – sea-green Alhambra goatskin, which Mr. Gray assures…oh, I already told you that part.

Finally, to enhance my studies, or to help prepare for this blog, or…well, really because I think they are fine:

: Journal
Click for more information

Journal – black goatskin

Pocket Journal
click for more information

Pocket journal – black highland goatskin

Aaaaaah – so now you know about my recent indulgence. My Christmas gifts to myself. But more importantly, MOST importantly, my detour down a certain, special memory lane with Grandpa.

Annoying Orange to Premiere on Cartoon Network Tonight!

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Giles

: Click for more information about The Annoying Orange

I take some bit of pride in this, since I “found” Annoying Orange while searching for something fun to link in my post about the difference between apricot jam and marmalade.

This development is as good a reason as any to resume my posting here. That, and the fact that I promised my very good friend, Ken Chapman that I would resume (but I promised to resume last week); and the fact that I will leave this Saturday on my mission trip to Guatemala with my church Salem Heights Church, and Reid Saunders Association; an excursion that I promised to faithfully chronicle on these pages.

I’m not sure, but I think Annoying Orange might be a cousin of Pure Orange, with whom I am well acquainted. We all have annoying relatives, don’t we? No, I will not name any in my family – I love them all far too much to do such a thing…and at any rate, even the MOST annoying of my relatives fall FAR short of AO.

My apologies for being remiss in this blog endeavor. Not by way of excuse, but as partial explanation of my lapse, my previous posts about the passing of Ken Denio and Mike LaRocque took their toll on me emotionally. The timing of their deaths so closely together was jarring to me.

Ken Denio

One, Ken, was a fixture in my life, for all of my life. A person I was never really prepared to have “leave”.

Mike LaRocque

The other, Mike, was a new friend, but one I treasured. A friendship I wanted to deepen and cultivate and develop into something as solid and substantial as my closest friendships.

Something I have discovered while doing this blog is that a short hiatus too easily becomes a long departure, as in this case. I regret my absence.

My Return – and the initiation of The Quest! Finally!

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Giles

I apologize for my absence. I feel compelled to give some explanation. Events have o’ertaken me, it is true. The last several weeks have been eventful. But mostly the culprit is intellectual intimidation. I have not had writer’s block, in the sense of not having anything to write about. What I have had could be termed writer’s surplus, in that I have had more to write about than I feel capable of encompassing in mere words. This condition was triggered by a simple phrase we sang at church at the time I quit writing: “The Great I Am”. That phrase gave me the topic of my next post, but it also overwhelmed me. As I tried to express in my mind, and verbally to friends, as I contemplated my subject, it seemed to grow faster than my thoughts and escape all efforts to contain in words . There was no boundary, it could not be framed or shaped or concluded and I felt powerless to convey meaning in any comprehensible fashion. All the while I was overcome by a thought, a concept that took emotional form and demanded expression of which I was incapable.

I have concluded that I must find a way to say what is within me, to embark on this adventure of discovery in order to help shape the words to describe what I see. It is THE quest, THE voyage, compared to which all other topics – politics, education, sports, history, even diveology are sandcastles on the beach – this knowing God, this desire to understand, to express Him. To fully express, one must encompass, and to fully express God one must fully surround the infinite, which is obviously impossible; a fool’s task. Yet God calls us to learn of Him Matt 11:29. I believe it is Satan himself who whispers the deceit that God is fully knowable, able to be contained within the mind, while at the same time taunting me with the jeer that He cannot be known, thereby frustrating, through fear, my attempts to embark on my quest.

Fear is not of God. But it is fear that has stayed my efforts. Fear of the unknown. I have hesitated to venture forth because I could not see, or even imagine the voyage beyond the outer edges of my mist shrouded, temporal vision. I have decided that I will present this in small chunks – not perfectly, nor even artfully defined most of the time. But I must write it, and in writing I cannot wait on completeness, nor perfection, nor beauty. I must forge ahead. To do otherwise is to remain standing on the dock, admiring the beauty, the lines, the form of my vessel and imagining the adventures on which such a ship can bear me – without the courage to set foot on the gangplank. This post is my gangplank and I shall never return to this little port again. This journey will carry me inevitably forward beyond the bounds and the bonds of our dimensions.

I ask for commentary and critique as I set forth, I beg it, I require it in order to stay on a true course in uncharted waters; as the ancient maps warned “Here be dragons”.

I will write regularly of The Quest – weekly, and at times weakly, because the writing of it is important – more important than the coherence or the cohesion. I know that my discoveries will not be universally new. The preacher tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that there is nothing new under the sun. At times I will fail to convey and contain, with written words, my discoveries – but in the trying I accomplish one thing and attempt another. I accomplish some bit of structure of thought for myself, without which I will wander aimlessly in an incredible vastness of limitless grandeur. I attempt to nudge you onto your own ship, your own quest, your own adventure of a lifetime.

I have completed several books in the time since my last post – some started before I last visited here, some started since that time. These books have opened avenues of thought and I commend them to your reading; each of them specifically recommended to me by people I admire and trust. I will not review or comment on them here – I will simply list them now, in no particular order (my post resumes after this listing):

Reasonable Faith – William Laine Craig

What’s so Great About Christianity – Dinsesh D’Souza

Crazy Love – Francis Chan

Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis

Business by the Book – Larry Burkett

So, leaving so much thought left unsaid, I will end with these few snippets, to which I hope to return in detail in some later writings:

Time is a powerful river against which we cannot swim, rushing us toward death – the gateway from dimension to infinite existence.

We say God is timeless or beyond time, our fourth dimension. But in reality, God is beyond all dimension, because dimensions, no matter the number, necessitate constraint, and God is unconstrained.

And this question, which will be the topic of my next Quest post, asked by Trisha, a baby Christian and a dear, dear friend of mine – When we die, do we go immediately to heaven? Keep in mind two passages of scripture:

Luke 23:43 “Today, shalt thou be with me In paradise”, said by Jesus, on the cross, to the thief hanging beside him.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Divelicious eating: We need a home for Gile’s dive quotient

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Ken

Giles travels around America more than just about anyone I know. I defer to him when it comes to identifying and judging dives. It is definitely a guy thing. A lot of guy bonding occurs on dive outings. I think Giles, our buddy Curt, and I have experienced an inordinate amount of guy bonding in the context of dive restaurants. Examples: Curt, Giles, and I made a concerted effort to visit as many dives as possible (Curt once and me twice) during Giles St. Thomas V.I. years–that included one of our most stellar guy bonding episodes at a dive close to El Condado and singing Going to Kansas City as we walked the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan.

Giles’ recent post on his visit to “The Old Place by the Graveyard” suggests an idea that I believe has legs and he is down there in El Paso, Texas, a Mecca of the kinds of dives we love to get us kicked off. Curt, Giles and I all have a history with a little place called Lucy’s as well as the El Paso Surf Club, and Aceitunas. Then, it goes without saying, we need to formalize our rating system, then hit the high points of Oregon, American Samoa, Nashville, and even Raleigh, though I am in no way qualified to make these judgements like both Curt and Giles. I am hoping we can convince Curt to provide a guest dive post every now and then, too. I think every time Giles goes on a Beaver football odyssey, the dive he visits should be required writing material, good or bad. I will create a dive post index with a table that shows all the ratings if these guys get on board with me.

I will consult with Giles and Curt, then get back to you.

19 years – Absolutely worth it

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Ken

Nineteen years ago, my wife and I were married in an amazing half-Gringo/half-Mexican, wedding at El Tío in Monterrey, Mexico. Not only did I get the best bride in the world, I married into an amazing family. Here is a picture of Lorena and here I from last summer. I am truly grateful that I married Lorena. Thank you for nineteen wonderful years and two wonderful children.

I will write more about her exceptional family as time permits. They currently live in a war zone in Monterrey, Mexico. The litany of horrors with which they have had to deal include a home invasion, armed robbery, an assassination on the street in front of their house, multiple assaults, a kidnapping of an uncle of our sister-in-law, several attempted kidnappings of friends, and the list goes on. They live just a couple of miles from the casino where 83 people were killed in a fire-bombing just a couple of months ago. We do not get to see them too often these days because it dangerous for us to go to Mexico and it is difficult for them to visit us here. Still, Lorena talks to her father and mother every day on Skype.

Lorena’s grew up in a middle class Mexican family that put three boys through great engineering schools. The only one who did not become an engineer, started his own business that is booming, even in a war zone. They love Mexico and want to stay there. They love America, too, but it makes them sad that so many of their fellow citizens go there illegally, willing to live as criminals in a foreign country rather than immigrate legally or stay home and make Mexico a better place.

Note: My buddy Giles who writes this blog with me and our friend Bryan stood up for me at the wedding in Mexico. They are part of the family, too.

Kelly gets published, then linked by Wintery Knight!

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Ken

Kelly recently joined the Student Free Press Association who publishes a news and commentary website name The College Fix. She was almost immediately asked to write an article on the Catholic University of America’s return to single-sex dorms as a measure to curb binge drinking and casual sex (hooking up). She worked hard on it, but interest in the story had started to wane before she got the article. She made tons of phone calls, wrote a massive number of emails, and tried to find new angles on the story. She felt she did OK–you can read the article here, but struggled to get the level of response she really wanted and is chomping at the bit to do another story.

Wintery Knight saw the post, made a post of his own, then in his usual manner adds context and a pile of already posted material that addresses the subject. Thanks Wintery!

Kelly Joins Truth Has a Chance as Staff Artist

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Ken

We have a new staff artist at Truth Has a Chance. Kelly is a college sophomore majoring in Statistics at a local community college. She will not write (unless we can her into it every now and then) as she comments on her college experience over at her Thousand Day blog. Kelly is a very experienced cartoonist even though she is not yet old enough to vote. She drew the Betty Blonde daily comic strip for two years and plans to return to it as time permits.

We hope she will draw a few comic strips for us, but her efforts will be on news portraits and caricatures. Her are a few examples of her portrait work:

Here are a couple of caricatures you should see before too long on her Thousand Day blog–it is fun that these guys actually look like this:

Blog Changes

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Ken

Day 45 of 1000

I was sad to see that Steve Jobs died yesterday. We were born the same year. It got me to thinking about change. This blog has been predominantly about homeschool and family lift. My family and friends have told me that it is time to move on. I have decided to do that. I will still post here every now and then, but my day to day postings will be somewhere else. The plan is to move my “1000 days” posts over to the new blog and go from there. This blog will be preserved for posts on homeschool and family. I will post the name and location of the new blog when it is up and running in a week or so.

Truth Has a Chance

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. –Winston Churchill

Category Archives: Truth Has a Chance Blog